1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to transferring powder, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for fluidizing and transferring powder such as toner for electronography, and a method and an apparatus for filling a container with powder.
2. Discussion of the Background
Powder toner for electronography manufactured with a pulverization method or a polymerization method is, when manufactured, stored in a large-sized container having a capacity of approximately 80 kg, made of paper or metal, and having a drum shape. The powder toner is then divided into and stored in small-sized containers such as toner containers, toner bottles, and toner cartridges for a storage purpose. In some cases, such powder toner is stored in a small-sized developer container included in a development mechanism of an electronographic copier.
To fill a toner bottle or a toner cartridge with powder toner, the powder toner needs to be transferred into a filling machine (i.e. a filling apparatus, filling equipment, or a filling mechanism).
In a case of a background filling apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 1, after toner is put into a toner receiver located in an upper area thereof, the toner is subjected to a free fall. Therefore, transferring toner into the toner receiver of the filling apparatus requires time.
Further, since capacity of a funnel-shaped hopper 203 located in the upper area for temporally storing the transported toner is at most one half to one third of the entire capacity of the drum-shaped container, an operation for transferring toner into the hopper needs to be frequently performed.
In particular, since toner particles are apt to scatter, it is difficult for an operator to prevent the toner from scattering during the transfer operation. For example, putting approximately 15 kg of toner into a hopper takes approximately five minutes, which needs to be repeated many times. In addition, the scattering particles in the hopper make it difficult to visually check the state of remaining toner.
Further, in a case of another background filling apparatus 300 shown in FIG. 2, although toner needs not to be put into an upper part thereof, a porous plate 303 (i.e. a member for forming a fluid bed) needs to be previously arranged on a bottom of a container, and to internally pressurize the container to fluidize the toner. Therefore, the dedicated container having the porous plate 303 needs to be provided, and the toner needs to be transferred from a large-sized container into the dedicated container every time a filling operation is performed.
In the above transfer operation, the toner scatters and transferring the toner takes time.
Further, there has been such a problem that the toner becomes solidified in the toner storage container or the filling apparatus 300, and simply performing suction of the toner causes the toner to form a bridge in a suction tube. For example, transferring the toner by using an apparatus which performs only a suction operation such as a vacuum cleaner requires approximately 30 minutes, and causes powder dust to scatter, resulting in the problem that a tube of the suction machine is internally clogged with the toner, depending on a state of the toner.
Previously arranging a member for forming a fluidized bed on a bottom of a filling apparatus and applying internal pressure are preferable in keeping a stable fluidization state. However, a dedicated container previously provided with the member for forming the fluidized bed needs to be used, and the problem is that the toner needs to be transferred (loaded) into the dedicated container.
FIG. 3 illustrates a background apparatus 400 for transferring toner by rotating a toner storage container 403, and performing suction of toner from a slit opening 406 of a toner suction member.
In the background apparatus 400, in the toner storage container 403, the slit opening 406 connected to a suction nozzle 402 is provided on toner deposit. For smooth suction of toner, the entire slit opening 406 (i.e. a front edge of a suction member) needs to be moved in response to a decreasing amount of toner deposit during suction. Further, smooth suction of toner requires a mechanism for moving the front edge of the suction member downward as the toner is discharged.
In a background powder transporting apparatus 500 shown in FIG. 4, which is a fluidization and transport apparatus using a principle of toner fluidization, fluidization cannot be evenly performed since a surface of toner deposit is partially supplied with air depending on the state of fluidization.
Further, a member for forming a fluidized bed needs to be previously embedded in the toner deposit to perform a toner transport operation, resulting in occurrence of a problem such that the member for forming the fluidized bed needs to be moved as toner decreases.
FIG. 5 illustrates a background filling apparatus 600 which fills a small-sized toner container 640 with fine powder toner from a measurement tank 630 after the fine powder is transferred from a large-sized container such as a filling hopper 610. The measurement tank 630 includes, at a discharge opening 631 for discharging toner, a filling amount regulation mechanism 632 for causing the small-sized toner container 640 to be filled with the toner transferred into the measurement tank 630 in a predetermined amount by opening and closing the discharge opening 631.